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Diamondrg Posted 20 years ago
Grammar

restatement

In what way do these two sentences differ? Can one be the restatement of the other?

- We were not supposed to pay until the parcel was delivered.

- We didn't have to pay until the parcel was delivered.
  

Top answer

- Not supposed to means not obligated to. This is the tone and structure I would use in a dispute of purchase where the salesperson wanted you to pay for the purchase in full. B: We didn't have to pay until the parcel was delivered – This tone paints a picture of you explaining the payment and terms of purchase to someone.

— Goodman

  • - Not supposed to means not obligated to.
  • This is the tone and structure I would use in a dispute of purchase where the salesperson wanted you to pay for the purchase in full.
  • B: We didn't have to pay until the parcel was delivered – This tone paints a picture of you explaining the payment and terms of purchase to someone.
  • The two sentences, to me, don not carry the same message and therefore “were not supposed to” and “didn’t have to” are not interchangeable with this context.
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4 Answers
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A: We were not supposed to pay until the parcel was delivered.- Not supposed to means not obligated to. This is the tone and structure I would use in a dispute of purchase where the salesperson wanted you to pay for the purchase in full. .



B: We didn't have to pay until t
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DiamondrgIn what way do these two sentences differ? Can one be the restatement of the other?

- We were not supposed to pay until the parcel was delivered.

- We didn't have to pay until the parcel was delivered.

- We were not supposed to pay until the parcel was delivered. --> Some people or
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These are most certainly not restatements of one another!

In order, they mean:

We were required not to pay until delivery.
We were not required to pay until delivery.

CJ
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